


A Horror Movie 'Hang-out'

by shipsandglitter



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: (Date), Buffy is slightly done with these two, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Movie 'hang-out', fake-dating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 15:15:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19337140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsandglitter/pseuds/shipsandglitter
Summary: Cyrus watched as the boy’s eyes scanned the board for a moment, before widening slightly. “Hey - they have a ‘limited time only’ discount for couples!”His eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion at that, and he looked up at the sign before looking back over at TJ. “Okay...and?”~Or the the one where Cyrus and TJ pretend to be a couple so they can get a discount on movie tickets. What could possibly go wrong?





	A Horror Movie 'Hang-out'

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I was in the mood to write some fluff after 3x15 so this happened.

“Hey, underdog!” 

Cyrus, who had been somewhat preoccupied with attempting to pry open his locker, spun around in surprise. 

“TJ! How’s it going?” he asked, voice slightly higher than he would’ve liked. 

He was going for nonchalance, but when Cyrus reached out to place a hand against his locker he missed completely and ended up stumbling to the side slightly. 

_Yikes._

TJ just smiled though, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow?” 

Cyrus’ face still felt warm as he leant back against the metal, taking a few long moments to consider the offer. TJ gave his arm a playful shove, smiling when the boy began to laugh.

“No TJ, I definitely  _don’t_  wanna hang out with you.” 

He gasped. “Fine then! Iguess I’ll go.” 

TJ made to walk away, but Cyrus pushed himself off of the locker and grabbed his arm, still smiling. 

“No wait don’t go! I’m sorry!” 

The boy glanced down at their arms, expression softening slightly. “How would you feel about seeing a movie with me?” 

Cyrus reluctantly dropped his hand, forgetting for a brief moment how exactly to form words. When he looked up his face was ridiculously close to TJ’s, and that had him panicking and taking a step back.

“That sounds fun,” he managed, “what time?” 

“Um...” TJ paused for a moment, face reddening slightly, “well there’s a new horror playing tomorrow at 7?” 

“7 is good!” 

“Cool,” TJ nodded, giving Cyrus a small smile. “I’ll text you the rest of the details this afternoon.” 

He glanced over Cyrus’ shoulder at his locker, before letting out an amused huff. “Need help with that?” 

“Psh, no...okay, maybe.” 

Cyrus stepped aside, allowing TJ to move forward and reach for the top of the locker door, prying it open after a few small tugs. He watched with an embarrassed smile as the boy stepped back again, giving his shoulder a pat. 

“See you, Cy.” 

TJ was off after that, swallowed up by the crowds moving between classes. He let out a  love-sick sounding sigh, adjusting his shirt as turned back to his locker and grabbed his books. Not even the pouring rain outside could dampen his mood at that moment. 

“You did it again,” came Buffy’s voice from behind him.

Cyrus turned around again, an eyebrow raised in question. “Did what again?” 

She gave the boy an exasperated look before adjusted her shirt, tugging at the fabric in an exaggerated fashion. Cyrus let out a huff and turned back to his locker.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he insisted.

Buffy began rustling around in her pockets for a moment, before pulling out a small piece of paper. She shoved it into Cyrus’ hands.

“Here’s a flowchart, then.” 

The boy looked over it for a moment, shaking his head in disbelief.

 

_Cyrus talks to TJ - > TJ does something ‘cute’ and/or walks away -> Cyrus nervously adjusts his shirt (because he’s in love) _

 

He laughed slightly and turned back to the girl, handing her the paper. “I adjust my shirt all the time,  _not_  just around TJ.AndI’m not in love with him!” 

Buffy just nodded, pressing her lips together as she pocketed the paper again. She gave the boy a sympathetic pat on the back, unable to keep herself from smiling. “Okay, Cyrus.”

He rolled his eyes. “How’s Marty going, again?”

Buffy’s eyes widened for a split second. “Okay, well I have places to be now. Bye!” 

Cyrus watched in amusement as the girl headed off in the opposite direction, before closing his locker and making his way towards Math. 

 

~

 

“Cyruses first,” said TJ as he held the glass door open. 

The boy couldn’t help but smile, walking through into the darkened cinema lobby. It was late evening and the sun was on the verge of setting, bringing shadows with it. As dusk approached, he and TJ had made their way to their local shopping mall. 

The large lights above their heads were dimmed, and with each step towards the counter, the room seemed to grow darker. There was soft light emanating from the screen displaying the various movies that were playing, illuminating their face as they came to a halt. 

“We’re early,” Cyrus pointed out.

TJ shrugged and nodded. “No harm in getting tickets now though, I guess.” 

Cyrus watched as the boy’s eyes scanned the board for a moment, before widening slightly. “Hey - they have a ‘limited time only’ discount for couples!” 

His eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion at that, and he looked up at the sign before looking back over at TJ. “Okay...and?” 

TJ looked nervous all of a sudden, the pink dusting his cheeks only barely visible in the dimly lit lobby. “Well...its ten dollars,” he continued, “that’s uh...pretty significant.” 

Cyrus laughed uncertainly, not entirely sure where the boy was taking this. “May I remind you that we’re not a couple?” 

TJ bit his lip, and Cyrus’ traitorous heart skipped a beat. He hesitated for a moment before speaking again, voice cracking slightly. 

“What is it?” 

They were already garnering a few looks from the people queuing up for tickets as they stood there, staring up at the board, but Cyrus couldn’t find it within himself to care at that moment. He glanced over at TJ again, eyebrows raised. 

“The uh...the guy at the counter doesn’t know that.” 

Cyrus’ eyes widened. He looked over at TJ in alarm. “Are you saying...?” 

“We could pretend,” the boy rushed out nervously. “Or...or not! Either way is fine, but you know...10 dollars is dollars.”

Cyrus contemplated the idea for a moment, still in slight disbelief that TJ would suggest such a thing. Everything within him was practically screaming at him that this was an awful idea, and that’d it’d only end up hurting him to have a taste of what he could never have. He supposed that was logical, but really, since when were things  _ever_  logical when it came to TJ? 

He hesitated for a moment longer before giving a quick, nervous nod. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

TJ took in a sharp breath. “Okay! Cool.” 

They stood there for a moment, unsure of what exactly to do. A certain tension had appeared in the air around them, and Cyrus could feel his stomach tying itself into knots. 

TJ turned to face him. “Can I um...Can I-“

“You can do whatever you want,” Cyrus assured him. “Except kiss me. That’s off the table.”

 _Yeah, because you’re afraid you’d like it too much,_  his brain supplied unhelpfully. 

He brushed aside the thought and focused on breathing normally as TJ wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gently pulled him in. 

“Okay, you’re gonna have to act like you’re super into me. Think you can do that?” 

Cyrus laughed nervously. “Um...yeah. I can do that.” 

They headed over to join the queue, marked out by small metal poles and velvet red ropes. There were only a few people in front of them, and none of them seemed to pay them much mind now. The entry to the theatres was to their left, and the entrance they’d come from was to their right, with windows displaying the setting sun. 

“Brave of you to suggest a horror movie,” Cyrus teased, “considering that last time you had your face buried in a pillow half the time.”

TJ huffed. “Okay,  _half_  the time is an overstatement.” 

“It really isn’t!” Cyrus laughed.

“It really is!” 

A wide smile was lighting TJ’s face up now, and Cyrus felt his heart skip a beat. His gaze travelled from the plain white he was wearing, to the (unfairly adorable) basketball necklace around his neck, to his green eyes, and the way they sparkled. For a moment, he began to doubt if this fake relationship thing was such a good idea after all. Not that it had been in the first place.

“It’s okay, I’ll be there to protect you from the dolls,” Cyrus assured playfully, laughing slightly when TJ just rolled his eyes. 

“You really think you’d win against a possessed demon doll?” 

“Nope! For some strange reason, I think I’d survive longer than you though.” 

TJ shrugged. “That’s probably true. My first instinct would be to hide under the covers.” 

“Ah, yes - it’s a well-known fact that you’re invincible under the covers,” Cyrus said, nodding wisely. 

TJ opened his mouth to respond, but they were called over at that moment by a tired-looking guy behind the front counter. Cyrus felt the boy’s grip on him tighten ever so slightly as they made their way over.

“Um, a couple for the Annabelle movie, please,” TJ told him. 

The guy didn’t bat an eye at the request, although his gaze did briefly flicker from TJ to the arm he had wrapped around Cyrus. 

“That’ll be fifteen dollars, thanks.”

TJ grabbed his wallet from his pocket before Cyrus could, placing the cash down on the counter. 

Once they’d successfully gotten their tickets, along with two raspberry slushies, they made their way over to a cushy-looking seat by the entrance to their cinema, waiting for the double doors to open. It was even darker in this section of the building, with the faint glow from the door numbers illuminating the people that walked past. TJ still had an arm thrown over his shoulders for safe measure, and Cyrus was  _still_  forgetting how to breathe every now and again.

“You didn’t have to pay,” Cyrus murmured after a moment.

TJ smiled. “Hey, it’s what boyfriends do, right?” 

Cyrus had to look away to hide the blush on his face. This whole fake relationship thing was  _already_  getting to him and it had only been about ten minutes. A glance down at his phone confirmed they had about ten  _more_  minutes to waste before the doors would open, so, after some hesitation, he gently rested his head on the boy’s shoulder.

TJ took another sharp inhale, before moving his arm to Cyrus’ waist and drawing him in.

“How um...how was your biology test yesterday?” he asked softly. 

Cyrus smiled. He’d spent an embarrassing amount of time texting TJ his worries about that particular test.

He looked up at the boy, whose face was being illuminated faintly, and couldn’t help but pause for a moment to take him in. His features looked soft in this lighting, and Cyrus had another brief thought that  _yeah, maybe this really wasn’t something his heart could take. Why had he even agreed to this in the first place?_

“Cyrus?” 

“Oh! Right, sorry, um, it was okay! There was one question that I had no idea but um...the rest were pretty good.” 

He placed his head back on TJ’s shoulder, and his heart leapt when the boy began to gently trace circles into his arm with his thumb. 

_Shit._

“How was maths?” he asked quickly. 

TJ’s actions paused for a moment, before starting up again. “It was okay...I hope.” 

Cyrus nodded, tilting his head to look up at the boy again just as TJ was looking down.

“Are you okay?” he asked suddenly. 

The question took Cyrus slightly aback. “Yeah,” he responded quickly, “why wouldn’t I be?” 

TJ hesitated. “It’s just...you feel kind of tense. We probably don’t have to keep acting like a couple now that we have tickets-“

“It’s okay,” Cyrus assured him. “I don’t mind. I’m just...always a little tense.”

TJ nodded, resuming the patterns he was tracing into Cyrus’ arm. The boy took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself slightly, doing his best to relax into TJ’s side. 

“It’s just until we’re out of his sight,” TJ said, looking towards the guy that had sold them their tickets.

Cyrus nodded, pausing for a moment before blurting “did I tell you that I held a python over the weekend?” 

TJ looked down at him in alarm, looking vaguely impressed despite his obvious shock. “What the hell? Where?”

“At the local wildlife sanctuary. I have photos to prove it,” Cyrus told him proudly, taking his phone from his pocket and bringing up his camera roll. 

TJ looked down at them for a moment, before laughing slightly. “You look so small!” 

 _That_  earnt him a playful shove.

“Not  _that_  small!” 

The boy just smiled. “Cyrus the snake wrangler. I never thought I’d see the day.” 

“I know, right? I thought my experiences with snakes would be limited to documentaries my whole life.” 

When the double doors in front of them swung open after a few moments, and a staff member announced that they were allowed to head inside, TJ removed his arm from Cyrus’ shoulders and stood up, sending him a small smile. Something about his expression almost seemed  _disappointed_ , but there was a very high chance that Cyrus was just getting his hopes up. 

The lights were on in the theatre as commercials played, meaning it was relatively easy for the pair to find their spots amongst the rows of cushy red seats and sit down, slushies in the cup holders beside them. They ended up having seats towards the back of the theatre, almost all the way up the stairs.

TJ looked over at him with a smile. “Ready to get spooked?” 

Cyrus raised an eyebrow. “By commercials?” 

TJ let out an amused huff. “Yeah, sure - by commercials.” 

“Commercials  _are_  kind of scary,” Cyrus shrugged, “they can have subliminal messages and stuff.” 

TJ glanced up at the screen, where a McDonald's advertisement was playing. “Think we’ll be influenced to buy Mcdonald’s after this?” 

“Not if we fight against it!” 

TJ laughed, taking a small sip of his slushie. “Can’t be that hard, right?” 

The pair continued to chatter as the commercials played and people gradually filtered inside, taking their respective seats. Surprisingly, they still seemed to have the row to themselves as the lights dimmed and the room darkened, indicating that the movie was about to start playing. 

His phone lit up with a notification as he was reaching down to turn it off. 

 

 **Andi:** how’s your movie date with TJ going? ;)

 

Cyrus could feel himself blushing as he read over it, sending back a quick ‘aNDI it’s not a date!!’ before turning it to silent and pocketing it.

He looked over at TJ, biting his lip slightly.  _Why did he have to be so cute?_

The opening credits began rolling then, so he settled back into his seat.

Throughout the movie, TJ (as expected) repeatedly brought his hands up to shield his face whenever he thought a jump scare was coming. Cyrus had seen his fair share of horror movies at this point from hanging out with Buffy, so he was  _slightly_  less terrified than the other boy seemed to be. 

At one point, when the characters were all deciding what their course of action would be, TJ placed a hand on the armrest next to Cyrus’. He didn’t think anything of it at first, keeping his hand rested beside the boy’s, but his heart leapt when he felt their hands brush. He shifted in his seat, chancing a glance over at TJ, only to find that his gaze was fixated intently on the screen. Almost  _too_  intently, if you asked Cyrus. 

He took a deep breath, before thinking  _‘Screw it,’_ and moving his hand closer ever so slightly. The movement had been subtle, but TJ seemed to pick up on it if the faint smile on his lips was anything to go by.

_What were they even doing?_

“You know we don’t have to act like a couple anymore, right?” he whispered. 

TJ hesitated. “I know,” he whispered back, barely meeting Cyrus’ gaze.

Cyrus’ took in a sharp breath. He officially  _wasn’t_  paying attention to the movie anymore.

He looked over at TJ, not even aiming for subtly this time. The light from the screen was the only thing illuminating his face, so the only time he could fully take the boy in was when there was a scene with good lighting. This happened to be one of those, funnily enough.

TJ glanced over him, and a smile ghosted over his lips. “What’s up?” he asked casually. 

Cyrus was on the verge of losing it, so he decided against saying anything. Instead, he attempted to shift his focus to the movie again. Just when he began to feel comfortable with their hands brushing the way they were, TJ gently placed his on top of Cyrus’. 

A glance over at the boy confirmed his gaze was still on the screen, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere because he didn’t look scared at all. In fact - he seemed  _nervous_  more than anything.

Cyrus took a deep breath and somehow managed to muster up the courage to turn his hand over. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw TJ smile, and he felt the boy intertwine their fingers. 

_Holy shit. He was holding hands with TJ._

He eventually managed to focus on the movie again, but his heart was still racing. Whenever there was a jump scare he’d feel TJ’s grip tighten, and he would give the boy a reassuring squeeze. It began to feel  _natural_  after a while, which was surprising to say the least. 

When the lights came on again the end of the movie, flooding the room, Cyrus hesitantly pulled his hand away from TJ’s grip and stood up. The boy followed suit, looking anywhere but him as they grabbed their slushie cups and made their way towards the exit. 

They didn’t exchange a single word as they made their way through the darkened lobby. Cyrus looked over at him as they stepped out into the cool evening air. 

“What was that?” he asked, cutting to the chase.

TJ sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know...whatever you want it to be?” 

Cyrus gave him a hesitant look. “I mean...we held hands. That’s usually a couple thing, right?” 

TJ shoved his hands in his pockets. “Right,” he confirmed.

When he didn’t say anything anymore, Cyrus let out a small sigh. The sky had fully darkened by now, with only a few larger stars visible, and a cold breeze was beginning to set in. He tugged on his hoodie, shivering slightly. 

“What um...what do you want it to be?” he eventually settled on asking.

TJ glanced over at him, taking a few moments to think about it as they crossed the parking lot. various coloured lights from traffic signals and storefronts lit up the street they were on, with cars passing by, clearly on their way home. The street lamps above them cast shadows across TJ’s face, but Cyrus could clearly see that he looked nervous. 

“I don’t know,” the boy said eventually, voice soft. 

Cyrus nodded and looked away, trying hard to conceal his disappointment. Silence fell for a few moments as they began to make their way back to TJ’s house.

“Are you cold?” TJ asked, out of the blue. 

Cyrus looked down at his hands, which had become numb from the icy winds, then back up at TJ. 

He shrugged. “Yeah, kind of.” 

TJ hesitated, before shrugging off the coat he’d brought along with him. Cyrus opened his mouth to protest, but before he could TJ was placing it over his shoulders with a smile.

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” 

Cyrus bit his lip, before giving in with a small, amused sigh. “Okay. Thanks.” 

The coat smelt faintly of TJ’s cologne, and somehow that in itself had Cyrus feeling slightly giddy. He placed his hands in the pockets, giving TJ a confused smile when the boy began glancing over at him. 

“What?” 

“Nothing,” he said, looking down bashfully. 

He hesitated for a moment longer, Cyrus still watching on in confusion. 

“You uh...you look cute.” 

Cyrus  _really_  wasn’t sure how much more of this boy his heart could handle. 

He smiled, hoping desperately that the streetlamps wouldn’t expose the blush on his face. “Thanks.”

Silence fell between them again, but somehow it didn’t feel so tense this time. They were walking a lot closer than they had previously by the time they reached TJ’s house, approaching the front gate.

“Wait - um - Cyrus.” 

Cyrus turned around, confusion written all over his face. TJ had stopped walking, and he was stood there nervously now, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. His hair was wind-swept and his gaze was hesitant, flicking between Cyrus and the ground. 

“I like you,” he rushed out, “if that wasn’t obvious already. I wanna be together. If - if you want that too, obviously.” 

Cyrus smiled and tipped his head slightly to the side. “I like you too,” he said softly.

For a few moments neither of them said anything, then Cyrus was taking a step back towards the house.

“Could we take this inside? I’m still kind of freezing.”

TJ laughed slightly and nodded, moving forward to hold open the gate for Cyrus. They both left their shoes by the front door, making their way down the warmly-lit hallway towards TJ’s bedroom.

“We’re home, Ambs!” TJ called, to which he received a muffled “thanks for the announcement, TJ!” 

He rolled his eyes, sending Cyrus an exasperated glance as they entered his room. Moonlight was filtering in through his blinds, falling onto the boy’s bed covers in strips. From the looks of things, the room had clearly been tidied beforehand. Varying statues were placed in an orderly fashion on top of his wardrobe, and his stationery was packed away neatly in the small boxes on his desk. 

TJ sat down on his bed, looking up at Cyrus with a smile. “So...you like me?” 

Cyrus smiled, moving to sit down beside him. “I thought it was obvious,” he teased.

“Not to me,” TJ responded, looking down at the boy. 

Cyrus leaned into TJ’s side, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Was that discount thing part of a genius plan, or what?” 

TJ laughed. “No - I really  _did_  want that discount. This,” he paused for a moment to gesture between them, “was just...a very welcome side effect.” 

Cyrus smiled down at his lap, before looking up hesitantly to meet TJ’s gaze. He swallowed, feeling a small army of butterflies begin to fill his stomach. TJ’s eyes not-so-subtly left his, flickering down to his lips.

“Is kissing still off the tables?” he asked softly.

Cyrus huffed out a laugh. “What do you think?” 

TJ shrugged. “Yes?” 

The boy rolled his eyes, smiling fondly as he pulled TJ in. “No. It’s not. You can kiss me.” 

A smile came to TJ’s lips, and he leaned down to do exactly that.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> Kudos/comments are appreciated if you liked it <3


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